Building a Better Workplace with Behavioral Assessments

Operating a business is no piece of cake. When you begin adding people into the mix, business operations become even more complex. In short, as a business grows, so does business complexity. In any given recipe for success, any business owner, consultant, or human resources executive will always have people as an ingredient. Here is the sticky part, people are not only part of the problem, but they are also part of the solution. How can that be?

People Are a Plus

A business of most any large revenue generating machine needs people to succeed. As we have seen from global business expansion and the most recent events, people can be onsite, offsite, working from home, working in another country, or online from wherever they happen to be at that moment. Just last week, an entrepreneur, in a different part of the U.S. was on a virtual program I was on and received an email that she had received a piece of business. That is how business works today. While this is all so convenient, it can also add an additional layer of complexity in hiring the right people, wherever they are.

An Overview of Assessments

Assessments have come a long way, baby. While assessments are, in some instances, a buyer beware endeavor, the science and integrity behind most of them have made great strides for the better. There is no shortage of assessments from which to choose, the idea is to ensure that you have the right tool, or assessment, for the right job. A good consultant, coach, or human resources executive can have invaluable input into these decisions.

Assessments for Hiring

When baking or cooking for a special occasion, you want to be sure that you use the best ingredients. When reaching the point of bringing on talent to help build and run your company, you want to start with the best people. Behavioral assessments are a great tool for that job. Using assessments does not mean that you stop background checks, give in to sloppy interviewing techniques, or fail to review resumes and other hiring documents. While assessments are an important tool or ingredient in your hiring mix, they are just one tool or ingredient you should be using in combination with other tools.

Using assessments help ensue a good talent fit, not only for the job, but for the culture of your organization. If your culture or the job calls for someone who is open, friendly, and has he gift of gab, assessments help you avoid hiring the individual who is shyer, likes to work alone, is the silent type. Of course, there are places for these behavioral styles. Avoiding mixing the two can be a disaster. It is like putting acorns in a pineapple upside down cake.

Assessments for Development

As your company grows, so do your people. Having a succession plan or career building program in place is a good business idea. Newer generations are setting their job-hunting efforts on organizations that provide such opportunities. Gen Z has this as a stronger criterion than the millennials and they will be making up a larger part of the work force soon.  Taking assessments every two to five years is a good idea. Further, as your talent are ready to move ahead, you can now add additional sciences to the mix for better measure.

Assessments for a Better Culture

Administering behavioral assessments to a team or department and then conducting a debrief, or communication session helps reduce conflict, creates a better understanding of one another, and decreases stress. Overall, this can increase productivity, better collaboration, and provide a better employee and customer service experience. This presents win for the organization, its people, and your customers.

Additional Information

If you still have questions, even the U.S. Government has additional documents, sources, and ideas that can prove helpful in your decision. The third largest distributor of assessments offers some additional insight at Target Training International (TTI). At some point in your conversation, TTI will refer you back to me when they ask how you found out about them and yes, please contact me because I would love to help. In fact, you can just email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and put ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST in the subject line and I will be happy to send you a check list and comparison chart that will help you make the best decision around using and selecting assessments.

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